Climate change impacts uk

There was a moment during the Prime Minister’s highly anticipated environment speech when something quite unexpected happened. For the majority of the 25 minutes, Theresa May attempted to communicate the contents and commitments of the 151-page Environment Plan (PDF, 11MB). Emphasis was given to the recent progress in banning microbeads as well as the nine billion fewer plastic bags used following the introduction of the 5p charge in retail outlets across the UK. Yet, what stood out was not so much the bedazzling spread of content. Instead, it was a rare admission.Seeming to go momentarily off script, May described how commonly today ‘we look back in horror at some of the damage done to our environment in the past,’ citing the historical dumping of toxic chemical into rivers. ‘In years to come,’ she added, ‘I think people will be shocked at how today we allow so much plastic to be produced needlessly.’The PM could easily have been talking … [Read more...] about Does the UK government’s 25-Year Environment Plan go far enough? Featured

There was a moment during the Prime Minister’s highly anticipated environment speech when something quite unexpected happened. For the majority of the 25 minutes, Theresa May attempted to communicate the contents and commitments of the 151-page Environment Plan (PDF, 11MB). Emphasis was given to the recent progress in banning microbeads as well as the nine billion fewer plastic bags used following the introduction of the 5p charge in retail outlets across the UK. Yet, what stood out was not so much the bedazzling spread of content. Instead, it was a rare admission.Seeming to go momentarily off script, May described how commonly today ‘we look back in horror at some of the damage done to our environment in the past,’ citing the historical dumping of toxic chemical into rivers. ‘In years to come,’ she added, ‘I think people will be shocked at how today we allow so much plastic to be produced needlessly.’The PM could easily have been talking … [Read more...] about Does the UK government’s 25-Year Environment Plan go far enough?

The dress, made from a worn-out tent and lit with reams of Met office data, stands at St Pancras International train station in London as part of an effort to communicate the future effects of climate change to the public en route to Europe. It is the first installation from a portfolio of work called Dress For Our Time by artist and designer Helen Storey MBE, who uses fashion to draw attention to major world issues. Ahead of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, her choice of location – St Pancras’ International Eurostar terminus – is no coincidence. She hopes many of the delegates passing through the station will come face to face with the world’s first digital couture dress. The data, lit by an LED display, is extracted from a major study by a team of climate scientists , led by Dr Lila Warszawski, researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The study was built on models by the UK Met Office and though the dress is … [Read more...] about Dress to impress the need for climate control

Created with contributions from a number of universities and government and scientific organisations, the map illustrates a wide range of effects, from the impact on the global economy as changes in crop yields damage trade, to the increase in the frequency and duration of droughts. Among the potential impacts illustrated are: temperatures on the warmest days rising by 6°C in parts of the world; sea temperatures rising by up to 4°C; maize yields falling by up to 12 per cent in Central America; and millions of people flooded, particularly in Asia.‘We know that rising sea levels are having profound impacts in many parts of the world,’ said Sally Brown of the University of Southampton, who contributed data on sea level-related flooding. ‘We hope that this tool will help scientists and governments better understand the threat that climate change poses to our collective future prosperity and security.’‘We’ve used the latest science to assess how … [Read more...] about New Met Office climate change map

‘What are you supposed to do about it?’ asks Will Hood, presenter and producer of The Glass Bead Game. ‘What is the correct position to have on things like energy, oil, oceans and agriculture?’ The questions are rhetorical and underpin the first episodes of Hood’s podcast series from the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex. Beginning with the subject of climate change, and including input from broadcaster David Attenborough and activist Naomi Klein, The Glass Bead Game is a 12-part series tackling some of the most contentious issues facing society.‘We decided to begin with climate change because it is a subject that can be very difficult to engage with. In many cases it can even be considered impolite to talk about it,’ Hood tells Geographical, ‘however, academics put hours of their career into working on these specific areas. They have an awful lot to say about their nuances and misconceptions as well as novel … [Read more...] about New podcast series gives shape to climate debate

The Dogger Bank Creyke Beck project, double the size of the London Array, the UK’s current largest offshore wind-farm located in the outer Thames Estuary, is the furthest ever attempted offshore globally (131km from the UK coast), will stretch over 500 square kilometres, and has the potential to treble in size to 1,200 turbines if further trenches are also constructed.Estimates put its cost at between £6billion and £8billion, and it is expected to supply 2.5 per cent (2.4 gigawatts) of the UK’s energy demand – enough for two million homes. It will consist of two separate 1.2GW offshore wind farms, will be the UK’s biggest renewable energy generator, and the second largest power generator overall (behind the 3.9GW Drax coal-fired station in North Yorkshire). Construction and operation is expected to generate more than £1.5billion for the UK economy, and create 4,750 new direct and indirect jobs within the Yorkshire and Humberside region.Ed … [Read more...] about UK approves world’s biggest offshore wind-farm

Climate modelling has become an activity which anyone can engage themselves with, thanks to the The Global Calculator, an international initiative funded by the UK Government’s International Climate Fund and the EU’s Climate-KIC, and supported by organisations including the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).By adjusting a series of levers revolving around the world’s land, energy and food systems, the online tool gives you options to change the levels of carbon dioxide which will be emitted in each scenario, and attempt to get the levels of carbon dioxide to below the line which signifies a 50 per cent chance of keeping temperatures rises below two-degrees, as set out by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The challenge is to get under that line, without making unrealistic or unmanageable predictions about people’s future lifestyles and consumption habits.“We wanted to know if it’s possible … [Read more...] about Now we can all do climate modelling

In October last year, the winning image of the world’s most prestigious nature photography competition was unveiled to the world. It was a simple, yet startling photograph of a red fox holding freshly caught prey in its jaws. Described like that, the top prize winner of the 51st Wildlife Photographer of the Year award doesn’t sound particularly remarkable, but a closer inspection soon revealed that something wasn’t quite right. The blood soaked carcass of the fox’s kill was that of an all-white Arctic fox. This was the first time that a red fox had been seen and photographed in the act of killing an Arctic fox. Only in recent years has the red fox encroached into the territory of its smaller polar-dwelling cousin, a direct result, according to Earth scientists and conservationists, of warming temperatures in Arctic climates.The photographer, Canadian physician Don Gutoski, wasn’t aware of the significance of his image at the time; he was one of several … [Read more...] about Climate conflict: How to photograph climate change

Climate change has no borders. While fossil fuels are gathered up and kept close by nations, the greenhouse gases they produce are disowned and free to intermix with in the international climate. Most emissions are the by-products of developed countries, who are generally safer from their impacts than less-developed countries. New research has quantified the full extent of the inequity between vulnerability and emissions.‘The latest data shows that around four per cent of the world’s nations are generating over 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions,’ says Dr Glenn Althor, researcher at the University of Queensland and lead author of the study. ‘This is a critical issue as the impact on the Earth’s climate from these emissions is felt by all nations, but on a disproportionate level.’The study found that a staggering 20 of the 36 highest emitting countries – such as the US, UK, Canada, and Australia – are among the least vulnerable to … [Read more...] about Unfair air: the inequity of climate change

Two weeks ago, Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) introduced its Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) at London Fashion Week. As models strutted their stuff on the runway, DEFRA announced that they had pledges from 300 UK fashion industry companies, including Marks and Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury, to up the sustainability factor of their clothing. The companies agreed to rethink their businesses to make them more sustainable. They agreed to take back clothing that their customers are done with, reduce packaging, and use recycled content where they can. In fact, when they signed on to SCAP they promised to make fashion more sustainable throughout its lifecycle, from design, to manufacture, to retail and disposal. According to UK-based Recycling and Waste Management News and Information, the Plan not only targeted companies, but consumers, asking them to recycle and reuse their clothes. Currently two million tons of clothing ends up … [Read more...] about Top Down, Bottom Up